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Bring on the Drama! | 10 Ways to Light Up Your Display Booth

Light or lack of lighting can really affect the mood and impact of a space in a multitude of ways so much so that light design is big business and the psychological and sociological effects of light are the subjects of many essays and books. It is a crucial design element; at the very core of design itself.

It is important to have your basic trade show exhibit lighting down. No matter how aesthetically pleasing your booth is, people are going to walk right by it if it is not lit well. Properly placed accent lighting (stem lighting is most commonly used) will add, dimension, and drama to your space and draw attention to the key features of your booth area.

How else can you utilize light to create impact and produce that WOW factor that your neighboring exhibit booth or competitor might not have? Here are ten avenues of trade show display light exploration that will create a memorable booth experience. Some ideas minor, some spectacular.

Lighting can transform a space and create drama!

Dramatic Lighting and LED Effects

Back in the day lighting options were limited. If you wanted to do something wild your selection was limited to traditional par can lights and color gels, strobes, and black lights. The stage lighting industry has broadened and advanced the scope and quality of lighting to new levels. With Intelligent lighting (definition here) and LEDs you have so many options in dramatic lighting with various dramatic effects. You can use lighting to create fields of spots or fields of concentrated color(s) or just brightened spots. Add customized colors and projection images with intelligent spots that will turn your drab trade show floor into an ornate light design. LED wall wash lights that operate on timers for ease of use are a great addition.

Dramatic Lighting can be projected onto boring trade show floors!

Because these types of lighting are intended for stage and nightlife there can be such a thing as overboard and this might not be the right fit. With that being said, there are so many lighting options that can be subtle and powerful. When planning your next trade show do not be detoured by “stage lighting” or “club lighting”.

Add Truss Covers and Lighting to Your Truss Displays

If you have a truss system already or are planning to have one this is a dynamic yet affordable solution! Truss socks or sleeves slide easily over any straight section of truss and come in a range of colors. White is the most effective for playing with light. Simply cover your truss and install a par LED at the base directed upward. The light will bounce off of the sleeve and truss hardware internally and create a beautiful glowing effect. For more drama use a light that offers color transition.

Pop ups are the most popular solution for trade show displays because they are easy to use, affordable and offer a lot of visual impact. Consider stepping it up a notch and illuminate with backlit pop-up systems. They are as easy as standard, the only difference being semi-transparent panels vs. opaque, and a backlighting system vs. front stem lights.

Available in a range of sizes and styles, you can back light one panel or the entire system, giving your booth area a nice glow and adding dimension to your exhibit area.

There are many awesome 3-D displays on the market these days that utilize lighting simply and dynamically. Our Xpressions®CONNEX™ is a 3-D modular display system perfect for trade shows and exhibits featuring a flexible frame that can connect at angles or straight lines and various “skins” or fabrics ranging from opaque to semi-opaque. These skins can be printed with photo realistic full color graphics and connected at different points along the display in layers or singularly to create a 3-D effect. LED lightbox panels can be added in various locations along the display to create more dimension and drama!

Xpressions®CONNEX™ Modular Display System with LED panels

Freestanding Lightboxes

Lightboxes are a great idea in general! Camelback Displays has a wide selection of light boxes including traditional wall mounted and freestanding units in different sizes. Many of our freestanding light boxes such as the AURA lightbox have high quality fabric back-lit graphics using vibrant dye-sublimation printing technology and easy to use, lightweight yet sturdy frame hardware. The AURA graphics are finished with silicon edging allowing them to be easily installed and de-installed.

AURA Lightbox

Much like the AURA, our Slim Backlit Lightboxes offer high quality backlit fabric graphics that can be swapped out easily. The Slim Lightboxes can be mounted to the wall, roof, or stand freely on the floor.

Light Boxes

Towers

Towers are a bit like freestanding light boxes but with more dimensionality! Instead of a flat unit you can use a circular, elliptical, or cube shape column of illuminated information of imagery! A tower display is a great solution because people can easily walk around it and view it from all sides and they are easy to set up and tear down. Add one to the center of your booth or two towers at each corner, offering your exhibit space a tasteful glow and invite attendees. See our pop-up towers and backlit towers!

Backlit Tower

Lit 3-D Hanging Signs

Not all trade shows allow hanging signs but if they do you should definitely consider investing in one! With or without lighting, 3-D hanging signs give a lot of visual impact because they are easy to spot far away and look very impressive. They are also a convenient branding opportunity that will not actually take up your booth footprint. Quite simple in construction, 3-D hanging signs are made of extrusions poles that connect together to make various shapes. Full color dye sublimated graphics stretch easily over the 3-D frame or skeleton and is typically hung from a single point at the center of the shape.

3-D Hanging Displays in action!

Many of our 3-D signs are available with or without an opaque liner. Without an opaque liner, the 3-D shape becomes an opportunity to be internally lit or backlit. With the opaque liner each side of the sign becomes an individual branding opportunity! If you cannot internally light the hanging display, point dramatic lighting AT the display. The light will bounce off of the display and create a standout visual effect.

Add Media and Light Elements to Your Truss or Display

Adding LEDs, LCDs, iPads, or Plasmas is a great way to stimulate your audience with a dynamic presentation. Monitors can be easily mounted to various truss types horizontally or vertically along the spans of your truss display. Many other types of displays also offer mounts to receive monitors and tablets.

We mentioned truss socks above, but we feel that the power of truss lighting deserves a second mention because it can be used in so many different ways! Light bounces beautifully off of shiny truss creating unique shadows and patterns. Place a light internally at the bottom of each truss leg and shine directly upward. The truss will glow with light!

Truss is also intended to support various intelligent and stage lighting. Utilize the sturdy truss to add performance of light to your booth.

Add Light Under Your Feet!

Camelback Displays offers BruLite flooring, a series of modular light box floors made of translucent light acrylic composite panels and lightweight waterproof aluminum framing. Each module or box-like unit can support up to 800 lbs. making any size floor a sturdy platform for a dynamic exhibition or show. Stick with basic lighting or enhance the design aesthetic further with wireless LED lighting and/or graphics.

BruLite Flooring

Bubble Panels and Backlit Headers for Pop-up Displays

On a budget and want to add some flare to your existing pop-up display? Add a bubble panel! A bubble panel is a semi-transparent graphic panel that is backlit. Your pop up can easily be converted into a bubble panel package and just as be easily converted back to a standard unit with a little extra hardware, lighting, and panel. Take it a step further with a backlit header. The backlit header is a great add on to any pop-up with hardware and rollable full color graphic that easily breaks down into the display case. The header hardware is positioned so that it extends out from a pop-up curve display adding depth, dimension, and illumination to your booth.